russ. port.
| Railroad Line to Link Luanda and
Cabinda At this week’s Southern African Development
Community (SADC) Council of Ministers meeting in Botswana, SADC
ministers approved a project to build a railroad link between
Luanda and Cabinda. According to Angolan Transportation Minister
Andres Luis Brandao, the project also includes the renovation
and modernization of the three existing railroad lines in Angola
(the Luanda, Benguela and Mocamedes Railroads). Minister Brandao
said that the SADC cabinet approved the project because the
rail link will promote the free circulation of people and goods
throughout southern and central Africa. The Angolan railroad
project envisions that the three existing rail lines and the
proposed new line would all be interconnected to form an integrated
railroad system that will extend to the borders with the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Namibia. Total cost to construct
new links and renovate existing links is estimated at $4.1 billion.
Of the three existing railroad lines, the Benguela Railroad
is the most significant. It is 1,333 kilometers long and connects
the port city of Lobito to Luau in eastern Moxico province.
Thus far the Lobito-Cubal portion of the Benguela railroad has
been renovated. The Mocamedes Railroad (907 kilometers) connects
the city of Namibe along the Atlantic coast to Menongue in Cuando
Cubango in eastern Angola. Currently only the 425 kilometers
between Namibe and Matala in Huila province are in operation.
The Luanda railroad is a 479-kilometer railway that connects
the capital city of Luanda to the city of Malange.
 Embassy of Republic of Angola, 2005 |